Congressman Henry Cuellar today announced his appointment to two influential subcommittees of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture in the 111th Congress.

Congressman Cuellar will continue to serve on the Subcommittee on Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign Agriculture Programs, as he has done since 2007.  The subcommittee’s jurisdiction includes peanuts, sugar, and tobacco; marketing orders relating to these commodities; biotechnology; rural development; farm security and family farming matters; foreign agricultural assistance; and trade promotion programs.

Congressman Cuellar said, “Rural development funding is critical for Texas, especially in these challenging economic times.  Serving on the Specialty Crops, Rural Development, and Foreign Agriculture Programs Subcommittee has offered an extraordinary opportunity to advocate for rural Texans, and I look forward to continuing that effort for the next two years.”

Congressman Cuellar has also been appointed to one new subcommittee:  the Subcommittee on Development Operations, Oversight, Nutrition, and Forestry, whose jurisdiction includes U.S. Department of Agriculture oversight, review and analysis; special investigations; food stamps; nutrition and consumer programs; forestry in general; and forest reserves other than those created from the public domain.

“School lunches are the most reliable, nutritious meal that many Texas kids eat in a day,” Congressman Cuellar said.  “I look forward to improving school nutrition to help more students grow up healthy, as well as to strengthening food banks for Texans who are struggling in today’s economy.”

In addition to his work on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, Congressman Cuellar serves on the powerful U.S. House Homeland Security Committee, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response.

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